Unexpectedly Wonderful
by Catrina and Stella
Summary: A collection of oneshots featuring unlikely but unexpectedly wonderful pairings. "It's okay to be lost," he said. "We just have to find our way home. Do you want to be lost together?"
1. Try Them All

Special thanks to Bragi151 for his beta work.

**Disclaimer:** We do not own Fruits Basket. Although we have been known to eat candy by the handful.

* * *

One day, Tohru entered 2-D's classroom shortly after arriving at school and immediately encountered a classmate holding a small bag. "Which one do you want, Tohru-chan?" she asked.

"Huh?" Tohru said, blinking at her.

"Candy," she responded, shaking the bag and holding it out to Tohru. "Do you want one?"

"Oh! Thank you," she said, reaching blindly into the bag. _There are so many choices,_ she thought, gazing at the candy before her. _They all look wonderful, but... I can only choose one._ "I almost wish I could try them all," she found herself saying aloud.

Her classmate shrugged. "Well, go ahead if you want," she said, shaking a few out into Tohru's hand. "It's just candy."

Class began with the teacher's arrival, so Tohru stowed her snack in her bag; she'd eat it later. Really, she'd planned on eating it with her lunch, but by that time she'd forgotten that she had candy. She didn't think about it again until that evening, when she retired to her room. As she lifted the bag off her bed, several pieces of candy fell onto the duvet.

"Oh! I'd forgotten about those," Tohru murmured as she picked them up. She was somewhat conflicted about what to do. She wasn't sure she should eat right before bed, but she didn't want to waste the gift. She stared at the candy in her hand. It looked awfully tasty. _Well…_ she thought,_ perhaps _one_ wouldn't do any harm._ Decision made, she popped a piece of the candy into her mouth. It tasted as delicious as it looked, so she had another, and then another. Before she knew it, all the candy she had been given was gone.

She stared at her empty hand and couldn't believe that she had just consumed so much candy. "I'm getting as bad as Momiji-kun!" she moaned. "I hope I don't get sick, but I couldn't just have the one! It wouldn't have been fair to the others!"

As she went back to the bathroom to brush her teeth, she wondered vaguely whether eating something, especially candy, so late at night would have any effect on her sleep. She needn't have worried, though. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

**Authors' Note 10.17.13:** Welcome to Unexpectedly Wonderful! This set of Furuba oneshots is all about pairing Tohru with characters you don't normally see her with. That, unfortunately, means that Yuki and Kyo were disqualified. We couldn't quite bring ourselves to actually _pair_ Tohru with Hiro or Kureno, but they will each have their own non-romantic oneshots.

The first installment will be up on Saturday; after that, we plan to add a new oneshot weekly.

Depending on popular demand, one (or more) of the romantic oneshots will be continued as an independent story. Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoy!

p.s. If you're a fan of Ouran High School Host Club and you'd like to read Stella and Catrina's first collaborative work, check out The Unbroken Vase! It's posted on Catrina's account, but there's a link to it on the profile.


	2. Table for Three?

Cover art by CatrinaSL; special thanks to Bragi151 for his excellent beta work.

**Disclaimer:** We do not own Fruits Basket. But we have been the third wheel once or twice during what otherwise would have been a romantic date.

* * *

Maybe it was Shigure's fault. He was the one who manipulated Tohru into delivering a package to Hatori. It was only natural for her to stay for a bit after her errand was done, only the "just for a moment" turned into a long afternoon of chatting. It was dark out before a grumbling noise alerted them to the hour _and_ the fact that they had both missed a meal. She blushed and stammered apologies, but he simply shook his head and asked her out to dinner.

They were on their way out of the Sohma compound when they ran into Momiji. The rabbit lost no time in asking where they were going, and when he was informed, promptly invited himself along.

Hatori was planning on stepping into a quiet family restaurant or just buying them something from a ramen cart, but it appeared that Momiji had other plans.

"Let's go here!" he said excitedly, pointing and tugging on Tohru's hand. "This place is good!"

"O-okay, Momiji-kun," Tohru said, ever ready to go along with him.

"This place is kind of..." Hatori began, eyeing the facade of what appeared to be an expensive and romantic restaurant.

"Don't you like it?" Momiji cried, in his best 'pouty child' voice. "Tohru likes it! Tohru wants to go!"

"That is... um, if that's all right with you, Hatori-san," she said politely. He couldn't stand for long against their united front. Momiji's cuteness, which was deliberate but effective, and Tohru's innocent hope, which was more persuasive for its being unintentionally so, would have been enough to convince _anyone_.

He swung the door open. The room was filled with couples. Hatori sighed. Momiji was up to something, and that was never a good sign. Not if one wanted a quiet, uneventful evening. Hatori happened to enjoy quiet, uneventful evenings, and he was starting to think that asking Honda Tohru to dinner had been a bad idea.

"Let's sit over there!" Momiji pointed at a rather dark and romantic-looking corner, where a table for two sat waiting for the next lucky pair.

"Welcome," said an employee, "Table for... three?"

"Yes, please!" Momiji chirped.

"What a nice family," the employee said, smiling at Momiji, and then in a lower voice to Hatori, said, "Sir, this really isn't a _family_ restaurant, you know."

"I'll be good!" Momiji promised, tugging on the employee's sleeve. "They hardly ever get to go out!" he whispered loudly. Hatori and Tohru glanced at one another, simultaneously blushing when their eyes met.

"Well, um," the employee began, obviously falling victim to Momiji's adorable charms. "I suppose we could make an exception this once. I'll get another chair and place setting." Momiji released him and he stood upright, giving Hatori a look. "But next time, please arrange for a babysitter beforehand."

"But, we're not-!" Tohru began to explain, but the employee had already turned away to fulfill his duties. They waited in silence while the necessary arrangements were made to the table Momiji had indicated. Hatori occasionally cleared his throat as if he was going to say something, but he never spoke. Tohru looked from Momiji to the table, from the table to Hatori, and blushed all the while. Momiji just grinned, as if happily unaware of his maneuvers.

The light and easy mood of the afternoon had all but disappeared, and the group _would_ have sat in silence were it not for Momiji's chattering. He spoke quietly, at least, showing _some_ respect for their surroundings, but overall, it was awkward.

Luckily for everyone, that changed about halfway through the meal. Momiji slipped away, explaining that he had to use the restroom. Tohru and Hatori avoided looking at one another for the first minute or so. When they finally _did_ make eye contact, they couldn't help it.

They burst out laughing.

"What..." Hatori gasped out between laughs, "What was Momiji-kun _thinking_?"

"I don't know!" she said, wiping at the tears of mirth streaming down her face. "I can't _believe_ they think we're his parents!"

"_'This isn't a_ family _restaurant, you know,_'" Hatori said, imitating the man who had seated them.

Tohru giggled. "Well, next time we'll just have to find a sitter."

He gave a crooked grin. "Yes. We will."

She blushed. She'd just been repeating what the man had said, but...

Momiji chose that moment to return triumphantly (and quietly). He smiled at both of them as though he knew what they'd been discussing and approved.

Their server, on the other hand, was giving them looks that spoke plainly of his disapproval. Hatori smirked and pointed him out to Tohru. "I think we've upset the mood of the restaurant. Shall we get the rest of this boxed?" She giggled and nodded; the man looked wary when he was waved over, and relieved when he found out why they'd done so.

They left quickly, still amused about the whole adventure. They walked back to the Sohma compound, where Hatori had left his car. He drove them both to Shigure's house (Momiji insisted on accompanying them) and walked her to the door.

"Well, thank you for dinner, gentlemen," she said, still laughing a little.

Hatori smiled. "Until next time," he said, causing her to blush.

"Next time," she agreed, then rushed inside.

"This is the last time I'm going to help you, Ha'ri," Momiji lectured as they walked back to the car. He sounded surprisingly serious. "As far as I'm concerned, Tohru-chan's heart is still fair game."

Hatori was a bit surprised to have this sort of remark aimed at him by someone more than ten years his junior. But he smiled, glanced back at the house, and said, "May the best man win."

* * *

**Authors' Note 10.19.13:** Thanks for reading!

If you have a great idea and want to write it with us (or you'd like us to write it _for_ you), send us a pm or check out iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com.


	3. Happily Ever After

Cover art by CatrinaSL; special thanks to Bragi151 for his excellent beta work.

**Disclaimer:** We do not own Fruits Basket, but (much to our annoyance) we have been woken up at three in the morning.

* * *

Tohru was not a light sleeper. She never tossed and turned. She went to bed, slept through the night, and woke refreshed and ready to start the day. It was hard to sleep, though, when her partner kept waking her up.

This was a problem that occurred regularly in the early fall. It wasn't quite cold enough to get out the heated blanket, but it _was_ cold enough for her occasionally cold-blooded husband to complain. If they were a normal couple, they could have just cuddled, but they weren't. She and her husband had to sleep with a body pillow between them, to keep him from transforming in the night.

She awoke at three in the morning to a familiar popping sound and a slither. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered with the body pillow.

"Aaya, not again," she murmured, and rolled over.

"But I'm _cold_," he whined, as he made an appearance from under her pajamas. She blushed.

"That's why we compromised with extra duvet covers and playing footsie," she reminded him.

"Your feet aren't as warm as the rest of you," he purred.

They had done this dance often. Tohru knew that it was best to head these things off early, so she brought out the big guns. "I need rest if I'm going to get up and make your favorite breakfast in the morning." There was a bit of murmuring that could probably have been classified as whining, and he reluctantly made his way back to his side of the bed.

She was almost asleep again when that popping sound jolted her awake for the second time. Sighing, she rolled onto her side, hoping that she could get back to sleep now that the nonsense was over. Instead, the body pillow pressed against her and she felt Ayame's arms encircle her waist.

"Remember the day we met?" she heard him say.

She smiled into the darkness. "It was the day I learned that you have a serious side when it comes to those you truly care about."

"I was thinking about when I got cold on the walk home and you carried me back in your shirt." Of _course_ he was. "Yuki was so angry..."

Tohru giggled. "At least he got over it."

"What makes you think that?" he asked, curiously.

"W-well, he was your best man at the wedding," she pointed out.

"Didn't stop him and Kyonkichi from threatening me before the ceremony," he said with a smile.

"Threatening you?" she repeated, alarm in her voice.

"They were just revealing their serious sides when it came to someone they care about," he assured her. "They wanted to make sure that I would make you happy."

Tohru was momentarily distracted by the fact that two of her best friends had been threatening her groom on the most wonderful day of her life, so much so that she almost missed her husband whispering, "_Have_ I made you happy?"

"Of course!" she cried. "I'm the happiest woman in the world!" She snuggled into the body pillow and put her arms around her smiling husband.

She heard him chuckle, and he kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, Mrs. Sohma."

* * *

**Authors' Note 10.26.13:** We hope you enjoyed this installment of Unexpectedly Wonderful!

In case you missed it, this oneshot will be continued (just like last week's Tohru/Hatori oneshot, "Table for... Three?") Eventually, when there are more oneshots for you to love, we're going to put up a poll to see which one you want us to complete first!

In the meantime, if you'd like to request a fic and/or work with us on something, please pm us or check out iwillwriteyoufic DOT blogspot DOT com.


	4. Sufficient Thanks

Cover art by CatrinaSL; special thanks to Bragi151 for his excellent beta work.

**Disclaimer**: We do not own Fruits Basket, and we have never stalked anyone, not even for noble reasons.

* * *

He spotted her walking down the street in her usual distracted way, and he was sure that she was going to crash into _someone_. Her backpack looked heavier than usual. He knew a more chivalrous gentleman than himself would probably have hurried over to carry it for her, but he stayed where he was. Not that he would have objected to helping her if no one else was around, but he had an image to maintain.

She'd helped him. She helped everyone, so it wasn't like he thought he was special. He wanted to be a better man for Kisa, and she had complimented him on his realization that he had quite a bit of growing up to do.

There wasn't a good way for him to show his appreciation. At least, there wasn't one that wouldn't have Kisa gushing about how glad she was that they were all good friends now or have that idiot Rabbit chanting, "Hiro lo-oves Toh-ru, Hiro lo-oves Toh-ru!"

And then he found out that those idiots sometimes let her walk to work alone. Sure, Yuki was there every night after it got dark to make sure she got home okay, but occasionally she'd wander down the street, in la la land as usual, with no one to make sure that she didn't get accosted by some jerky kid who might steal her notebook.

On those days, he was there. He'd watch her walk from the train station to the building where she worked. She was never bothered by anyone (except once when a college kid handing out flyers had gotten in her way), so a part of him sometimes whispered that he was being silly, that watching her while she walked to work was a waste of time. He pushed that voice away; the one that _needed_ to give her something in return was now stronger than his selfish side.

Maybe this "protection detail" he'd assigned himself to was selfish, in some ways. But it didn't matter to him. He'd keep growing. He'd keep learning. And someday, he would be the man he wanted to be.

Someday, he would be brave enough to thank her properly.

* * *

**Authors' Note 11.2.13**: Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this installment of Unexpectedly Wonderful.

As you might have guessed by the complete lack of romance, this oneshot will NOT be expanded. But if YOU have an idea of how it might be, or if you have any other ideas that you'd like us to write, please pm us or check out iwillwriteyoufic DOT blogspot DOT com.


	5. Lost and Found

Cover art by CatrinaSL; special thanks to Bragi151 for his excellent beta work.

**Disclaimer:** We do not own Fruits Basket, but we have pretended to be pirates.

* * *

It had started with a simple intention to aid the cousin he loved. Yuki seemed determined to run away; if he did that, then Haru would never be able to see him again. Though following him was easy at first, it was surprising how quickly the sickly Rat outstripped the young Ox, and before long, Haru was lost. While wandering around trying to find somewhere familiar, he heard a strange noise coming from an alley. Was someone... crying?

He peeked into the space, and sure enough, a little girl was sitting there, curled up in a ball. "Hey," he said as he hesitantly approached, "are you lost too?" Her head snapped up to look at him, her eyes wide, surprised, and red. Tears welled up as she nodded frantically. He smiled. "It's okay to be lost, we just have to find our way home. Do you want to be lost together?"

She leapt up, rushed over to him, and grabbed his hand. He was shocked, unused to being touched, but he quickly got used to having a girl clinging to his arm.

"I'm Tohru," she suddenly said. He blinked.

"Hatsuharu."

"Um, why is your hair white?" she asked, trying not to sound rude.

"It's always been that way," he explained. She seemed to accept this, and they set off.

As they wandered, looking for the way home, Tohru watched her rescuer. "Hatsu-chan," she said, "How did you know I was lost?"

"I didn't," he replied, smiling. "But I'm glad I found you today."

She nodded. "Me too. It's a lot less scary. I don't really feel like I'm lost any more." She giggled. "After all, how can I be lost when I've been found? Now… now it's like an _adventure_!"

He smiled. "You're right! I don't think I've ever been on an adventure before."

"We need hats!"

"_Pirate_ hats!"

"Yeah!"

They found a couple of old newspapers that weren't too dirty and set about folding them up. Soon enough, Captain Tohru-chan and Captain Hatsu-chan were roaming the open seas. Two other newspapers served as spyglasses (and occasionally swords) as they scouted for familiar shores, where they knew there was treasure buried.

They were having so much fun that they had almost forgotten that they were lost. But thankfully, they were soon found. "_There_ you are, Haru-chan! We've been looking all over for you!" An older boy, tall enough to be a grown-up, ran over to them, and taking in their appearance, asked, "... Why are you wearing a newspaper on your head?"

"I got lost… and then I became a pirate." He left out the bit about Yuki, hoping that by now he had gone home, and not wanting to get him into more trouble if he could help it.

"A… pirate? Never mind. I don't want to know." The young man looked at Haru's companion, and a wary note entered his voice. "Who's this?"

"This is Captain Tohru-chan. She's lost, too."

"Aha. Did..." he paused. "Did anything happen?"

"No. We just wandered around, scouting for treasure."

"All right..." he said, trailing off skeptically. Finally, he turned to the girl. "Hello... Tohru-chan, was it?"

"_Captain_ Tohru," she replied with a giggle.

He smiled. "Of course! My mistake, Captain Tohru-chan. I'm Hatori, Hatsuharu-chan's cousin. Where do you live? I'll take you home."

She peeked at Captain Hatsu-chan for assurance. He nodded, so she told Hatori-sama her address. "That's not very far. Your parents are probably really worried about you, huh?"

Some of the joy at being a pirate left her eyes and she nodded solemnly. She'd been having so much fun on the adventure they had created from a nightmare that she'd mostly forgotten how worried her mother must be.

Captain Hatsu-chan squeezed her hand and smiled at her. She hesitantly smiled back, and with Hatori-sama gently herding them in the right direction, they started the walk home.

About twenty minutes later, they reached her apartment. "Stay here, Haru-chan, while I walk Captain Tohru-chan up to her door," he said. Captain Hatsu-chan nodded and dropped her hand.

"Goodbye, Captain Hatsu-chan. Thank you for finding me!"

He smiled. "Goodbye, Captain Tohru-chan. Thank you for getting lost with me!"

* * *

_Ten years later..._

Tohru was worried about Sohma-kun. He'd been coughing that morning, and he really should have stayed home, _especially_ since they had the endurance run that day! But Kyo-kun had... convinced Sohma-kun that they should make the endurance run a competition between the two of them, and 'Prince Yuki' had agreed.

She was just running past a bridge when she saw something odd. Someone was laying on the grass beside the path- someone with white hair! _White hair- an old man?!_ she thought as she began to run down the hill towards him. Aloud she said, "I hope he's all right!"

The person sat up a bit, supporting himself on his elbows, and looked back at her. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized that he was _not_ old, but young. She stammered as she tried to slow to a stop. "I-I'm sorry! Y-Your hair is so white... I thought you were an old man... and maybe you were in trouble. It was my mistake! I'm sorry!"

He said nothing, and suddenly she remembered another boy with white hair- one who would be about the same age as the person in front of her. Her eyes widened again and she gasped. "Ha- Hatsu-chan?"

He blinked and looked at her more closely. Though she didn't know it, she was the only one who had ever shortened his name that way. Most of the people who were close enough to him to give him a nickname called him Haru. "... Captain Tohru-chan? You're the girl I got lost with, when I was little."

She beamed at him. "Yes! I can't believe I'm meeting you again! What are you doing here?"

"I set out on Sunday and found myself in an unfamiliar town. Next thing I knew, three days had passed. A mystery..."

Her eyes went wide. "You were on another adventure? How exciting!"

He smiled. "It's not as fun when you don't have someone to adventure with," he said.

"Where were you trying to go?"

"I was trying to visit one of my cousins. Do you know where the Sohma family lives?"

"Eh? Does that mean you're a member of the Sohma family...?"

"That's right."

"Erm- I live with Shigure-san, Sohma-kun -er, Sohma Yuki, that is- and Kyo-kun."

He blinked. "You're _Honda_ Tohru?"

"Yes, that's me. You've, er, heard of me?"

He nodded. "All of the zodiac have. It's not often that an outsider learns our secret. In fact, I think you're the first who's been allowed to keep their memories."

"Eh? You're one of the zodiac, too?" She laughed. "I'd already met one of you and I didn't even know it. What a wonderful coincidence!"

"Two of us- Hatori is a member of the zodiac, too."

"Oh! I met Hatori-sama -well, met him again, I suppose- at the cultural festival! I didn't even realize that they were they were the same person!"

Suddenly, he stood and looked back towards the road. "I hear voices," he said. "They're running this way."

She watched in confusion as he tied a long string to the guardrail, and then in shock as he pulled it taut in time to trip Kyo-kun. He, predictably (and very reasonably), exploded, while Tohru panicked. Sohma-kun had been far enough behind Kyo-kun that he wasn't tripped, and soon they were back off the road.

Sohma-kun turned to her to introduce his cousin. "This is Sohma Hatsuharu. He's a year younger than we are. Haru, this is-"

"We've met," he said, interrupting the older boy.

"You mean you've already introduced yourselves?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Hatsu-chan smirked. "Yeah. About ten years ago."

Kyo-kun interrupted before Sohma-kun could react. "Well? What do you want?"

"A fight," was the answer, and a fight was what he got. It completely shocked Tohru when he snapped into Black Haru. He seemed so different. It eventually ended when Sohma-kun's health took a turn for the worse.

Still, as worried as she was, she turned bright red when Hatsu-chan called her cute and hugged her. As often as she thought about the curse, she couldn't help but be startled by the popping sound each time, not to mention that it hadn't quite sunk in that her childhood friend was a member of the zodiac.

She recovered from the hug and the fact that there was now a cow standing in front of her in time for Hatsu-chan to say, "You'd better put your arms around my neck to make sure I don't change back." And the thought of the unclothed state that Hatsu-chan would be in if that were to happen caused her face to be engulfed in a blush so deep that they were halfway home before she heard children jeering at them and being shooed away by Kyo-kun.

"I guess this explains why your hair is white, Hatsu-chan," she said.

His bovine face took on an amused look, but his only reply was a quiet, "Moo."

"You call him _Hatsu_-chan?" Kyo-kun asked.

She blinked in surprise. "Should I not?" she asked, looking between the Cat and the Ox. Before he could answer, they reached the house.

After a good deal of fussing about the situation, Sohma-kun was resting comfortably in his own bed while Hatsu-chan and Tohru watched over him. Hatsu-chan was concerned enough to refuse to leave his cousin's side, Kyo-kun had stomped off back to school, and Shigure excused himself to phone Hatori-sama.

"Thank you for staying to help me, Hatsu-chan," Tohru said. "Oh! Do you want me to call you something else? Do you prefer Haru, or-"

"You can call me Hatsu-chan. I kind of like it, coming from you," he said, answering quickly before she could truly begin rambling. She blushed. "Say, Tohru-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Would you like to go get lost together? Not right now, but... sometime. I get lost a lot, but I think it would be nice to be lost with you."

"Get... lost?" Tohru repeated, confused.

"Yeah. Just like when we were kids." He reached out and took her hand, smiling at her. She smiled back, and they watched over Yuki-kun as he slept.

She glanced sideways at Hatsu-chan. "I'm glad I found you today."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Me too. It was another adventure."

On a Sunday morning a few weeks later, they set out on their walk.

Hatsu brought the GPS and a picnic basket.

Tohru brought the hats.

* * *

**Authors' Note 11.9.13: **We hope you enjoyed this installment of Unexpectedly Wonderful!

_This_ oneshot will be continued. Soon, we will put up a poll to see which of these unexpectedly wonderful oneshots you want us to complete first!

In the meantime, if you'd like to request a fic and/or work with us on something, please pm us or check out iwillwriteyoufic DOT blogspot DOT com.


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